Vostok (rocket family)

Vostok

Vostok 8K72K rocket on display in Moscow at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy
Function	Carrier rocket
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Country of origin	Soviet Union
Size
Mass	280,000–290,000 kg (620,000–640,000 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	4,725 kilograms (10,417 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	R-7
Comparable	Atlas Titan
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Baikonur: LC-1/5, 31/6 Plesetsk: LC-41/1, 43/3, 43/4
Total launches	Vostok-L: 4 Vostok-K: 13 Vostok-2: 45 Vostok-2M: 94 Soyuz/Vostok: 2
Success(es)	Vostok-L: 3 Vostok-K: 11 Vostok-2: 40 Vostok-2M: 92 Soyuz/Vostok: 2
Failure(s)	Vostok-L: 1 Vostok-K: 2 Vostok-2: 5 Vostok-2M: 2
First flight	15 May 1960 (Vostok-L)
Last flight	29 August 1991 (Vostok-2M)
Type of passengers/cargo	Vostok Zenit Meteor
First stage (Block B, V, G, D)
Powered by	1 RD-107-8D74-1959
Maximum thrust	970.86 kN
Burn time	118 seconds
Propellant	Kerosene/LOX
Second stage (Block A)
Powered by	1 RD-108-8D75-1959
Maximum thrust	912 kN
Burn time	301 seconds
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
Third stage (Block E)
Powered by	1 RD-0109
Maximum thrust	54.5 kN
Burn time	365 seconds
Propellant	Kerosene/LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

Vostok (Russian: Восток, translated as "East") was a family of rockets derived from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka ICBM and was designed for the human spaceflight programme. This family of rockets launched the first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) and the first crewed spacecraft (Vostok) in human history. It was a subset of the R-7 family of rockets.

On March 18, 1980, a Vostok-2M rocket exploded on its launch pad at Plesetsk during a fueling operation, killing 48 people. An investigation into a similar – but avoided – accident revealed that the substitution of lead-based for tin-based solder in hydrogen peroxide filters allowed the breakdown of the H₂O₂, thus causing the resultant explosion.